I forgot to post this on July 4th, our Independence Day:

I went to my British friend's house for fun on July 4th and she offered me some tea. I told her that if she gave me any, I'd dump it in the Boston harbor and yell, "No Taxation without REPRESENTATION!"

Love,
P

One HUGE perk about living in France? Le Creuset at a HUGE DISCOUNT.

Today, I bought this Le Creuset grill pan in brown for 45Euro. This pan retails for $150 in the U.S. and it is on sale at Williams Sonoma for $100!!!! I am so excited for this savings! The reason it is on sale is because the color is no longer being made!

I am headed back for some other deals. My friend bought the 5L oval dutch oven for 45Euro. It retails for $290 at home! I am off to buy one for my father and one for my mother-in-law if she wants one! I just have to figure out how to get it back to the U.S....

Plus, the nectarines are in season right now and they are DELICIOUS. The sweetest nectarines I have ever eaten in my life.

Love,
P

I went into the boy's room to check on him this morning after he fell asleep again...and I found him asleep next to the crib railing closest to the door. He must have crawled over there yelling for me and just fell asleep where he was. Made me so sad...

Funny memory:
Yesterday, while I was cooking, Michael crawled into the living room to play with his toys. I look over there and he's on his back playing with his sippy cup (gnawing the handle, etc). The next thing I see, he's got the sippy cup spout in his mouth and is sucking away happily at the water inside! It's the sippy cup that is easy to get water out of!

So I go over there to hug him and tell him what a good job he did and I find a huge puddle of water on the floor and his back is all wet because he was just laying around in the water that leaked from the cup.

He didn't care. He was happy. So I was happy for him.

After taking 3 days to watch Swiss Family Robinson in its entirety, I think i am prepared to be a mother of 3 boys.

What Michael is Doing Right Now

Michael is getting his 5th tooth. Bottom, lower right. Our right. He is sleeping funny and eating funny so it is no surprise. Tonight, he screamed every time we put him in bed so I had to hold him until he became a lead weight. We don't normally do that but I figured he needed it for now.

He is also going through a bit of separation anxiety. Today, when the nanny was holding him, he screamed and screamed and screamed even though I was right there in front of him. So I played with him a bit with the nanny and got him good and distracted and he didn't even notice that I left for my French lesson. Funny Fat Little Baby.

Grandbaby Michael spends many a day charming the French. Today was no different as the boulangere tried to make friends with Michael. Unfortunately, Michael only wanted to buy bread and go home. Oh yes, and get a croissant for maman too. We stopped at Franprix (little supermarket) and bought about 8 lbs of fruit for our fiber intake.

Now, off to study Swiss Family Robinson so I can better prepare myself for life with 3 boys.

Love to all,
P

Yesterday, Michael and I had pretty crazy days.

I was in Zara and Michael started to fuss as usual. So I am carrying him around the store while I shop and push around the stroller. Good thing Michael is helping me as he is apt to do. He likes to push the stroller too. Anyways, I look down and I see this kid, who OBVIOUSLY has the chicken pox and is rubbing his little toy ALL OVER MIchael's stroller and Michael's toy. I AM LIVID and look around for his Mommy which, no surprise, is NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. Thank GOD I was carrying Michael.

So I high-tail it to Champion where I buy anti-bacterial wipes, even though Chicken pox is a virus. I wipe down the entire stroller, throw away Michael's toy and wait for the stroller to dry. *sigh* I had to go to the pharmacy to get Brian a prescription so I asked the pharmacist about it and he said it hopefully will not be a problem. He said that the chicken pox are contagious BEFORE the pox appear so hopefully, the boy will not cause any harm to Michael. Plus, I am breastfeeding and have had the chicken pox before so that will protect Michael a little bit. Pray that he doesn't come down with a Fever or pimples!!! AAHHHH!! *&A*@(& FRENCH AND THEIR WRETCHED SICK KIDS!!!

Then, we were walking back from the pharmacy and I decide to cross the street early, even though it means I have to wait for a green walking guy. Usually, I save time and just walk to the next crosswalk instead of waiting for the nearest crosswalk to turn green. Anyways, as I am walking down the street, this huge accident happens across the street IN THE EXACT SPOT I WOULD HAVE BEEN had I NOT decided to cross the street. This car pulls out in front of the ambulance and the two end up colliding. The car ended up hitting the poll in the median. The ambulance ended up colliding into the poll and crosswalk where I undoubetdly would have been with Michael.

I swear I HEARD the accident, looked immediately to my right, and saw the wreck occur, RIGHT where I would have been standing with Michael.

I thanked God over and over yesterday for making me cross the street for whatever reason. It would have been Michael and I in that wreck too and we wouldn't have had any car protecting us. It makes me sick to my stomach to think what could have been. And it makes me be even more aware as I walk around. I stay far away from the curb and am even more aware of the cars going by.

You never know when an accident will happen. I know accidents happen in America too, but I wouldn't be on the street walking around very often like I am here in Paris. I'd be in a car, with airbags and my son would be protected in his carseat. Instead, we are walking around, hoping that God keeps those crazy Parisians from harming us. I know God means well, but those Parisians sure don't like listening to Him.

Love, P

Yesterday, Michael and I had pretty crazy days.

I was in Zara and Michael started to fuss as usual. So I am carrying him around the store while I shop and push around the stroller. Good thing Michael is helping me as he is apt to do. He likes to push the stroller too. Anyways, I look down and I see this kid, who OBVIOUSLY has the chicken pox and is rubbing his little toy ALL OVER MIchael's stroller and Michael's toy. I AM LIVID and look around for his Mommy which, no surprise, is NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. Thank GOD I was carrying Michael.

So I high-tail it to Champion where I buy anti-bacterial wipes, even though Chicken pox is a virus. I wipe down the entire stroller, throw away Michael's toy and wait for the stroller to dry. *sigh* I had to go to the pharmacy to get Brian a prescription so I asked the pharmacist about it and he said it hopefully will not be a problem. He said that the chicken pox are contagious BEFORE the pox appear so hopefully, the boy will not cause any harm to Michael. Plus, I am breastfeeding and have had the chicken pox before so that will protect Michael a little bit. Pray that he doesn't come down with a Fever or pimples!!! AAHHHH!! *&A*@(& FRENCH AND THEIR WRETCHED SICK KIDS!!!

Then, we were walking back from the pharmacy and I decide to cross the street early, even though it means I have to wait for a green walking guy. Usually, I save time and just walk to the next crosswalk instead of waiting for the nearest crosswalk to turn green.

Anyways, as I am walking down the street, this huge accident happens across the street IN THE EXACT SPOT I WOULD HAVE BEEN had I NOT decided to cross the street. This car pulls out in front of the ambulance and the two end up colliding. The car ended up hitting the poll in the median. The ambulance ended up colliding into the poll and crosswalk where I undoubetdly would have been with Michael.

I swear I HEARD the accident, looked immediately to my right, and saw the wreck occur, RIGHT where I would have been standing with Michael.

I thanked God over and over yesterday for making me cross the street for whatever reason. It would have been Michael and I in that wreck too and we wouldn't have had any car protecting us. It makes me sick to my stomach to think what could have been. And it makes me be even more aware as I walk around. I stay far away from the curb and am even more aware of the cars going by. You never know when an accident will happen.

I know accidents happen in America too, but I wouldn't be on the street walking around very often like I am here in Paris. I'd be in a car, with airbags and my son would be protected in his carseat. Instead, we are walking around, hoping that God keeps those crazy Parisians from harming us. I know God means well, but those Parisians sure don't like listening to Him.

Love,
P

I come home from work today, hug my woman, and play with Michael a bit. Then I have to go to the bathroom so I place the boy on the floor outside. As I'm going to the bathroom, I feel a tugging on my boxers and look down and see Michael behind me on his knees grabbing my shorts. Then he proceeds to pull himself to a standing position on our hard tile floor. Phuong had to come rescue him from himself because I couldn't get to him in the position I was in without him pulling my shorts all the way down and cracking his skull on the ground.

Today the three of us set out for Reims, a small town northeast of Paris that is a nice base for exploring the champagne region of France. We didn't explore by any means but had a good time in Reims. We left Paris around 10h35 which was good because that meant that we got to feed Michael on the train. We switched trains in Epernay so he had milk on the Paris to Epernay train and we stuffed him full of solids on the short commuter train from Epernay to Reims. I also got to change his soggy diaper in the train and the air hand dryer came on all hot and loud and made Michael cry. Anyway, here is the boy with his dad at the Reims train station. He's not terribly impressed but it was a nice, clean station with elevators. Not that I don't like carrying the stroller up and down the stairs.

Since we now work around the boy, we decided to go to Martel's Champagne Caves. The tour was kind of silly. We got to see their old bottling instruments and learn about how champagne was made and bottled. The boy liked to touch everything and not even the Bjorn could stop him.

After the museum of old instruments, we went up and got to sample 4 different champagnes for only 7 Euro per person. So only 14 euro total for the both of us! At the Mumm and Taittinger caves, it cost 7 Euro per type of tasting. Here's the old English folk that were on our tour. There were also two Swedes to our right who were very amusing. Here's our guide. He was good at pouring the champagne.

After drinking four glasses of champagne, Phuong fed the boy at the sparkling bathrooms, the best in France. She only had 1/2 glass of champagne equivalent, which must mean that I had 6 1/2 glasses. Good thing I had an hour to sleep while Phuong was feeding the beast. Unfortunately I had to stay awake and guard our stuff.

Then we headed into town to see Reims' grand cathedral. It' s been the coronation site for 26 French kings. I think Sarkozy went there when he got elected this past May. It was very large and the square in front of it was under construction. It has something like 2000 statues arranged around the west portal (the doors at the bottom of this picture). You can climb the towers but Phuong told me no.

There was a lot of stained glass inside, but these windows are somewhat distinct. Marc Chagall designed them in 1974 and they are in his fluid style. Quite a bit different from the traditional stained glass you'd find at Chartres. I think I would have liked this one better if Malcolm Miller, the old English dude who does the tours at Chartres, were there. He's very knowledgeable and witty and enhances the visit tremendously.

Reims actually had a nice city center with a couple of large pedestrian only areas. We were running a bit late but Phuong had time to run into Kookai to take a look at their clothing sales. France only has sales in January and July, so it's pretty much of a madhouse. The boy and I were not as excited as P was. Here's the entrance to a square with lots of cafes and restaurants and a few shops. I think everyone who lived in or was visiting Reims was hanging out here. P's looking lovely.

We headed back the same day using the new TGV that connects Paris to Strasbourg in 2 hours. Our particular train was delayed about 1 hour and 15 minutes by some accident due to a signal malfunction or something. We found out up close and personal how fast the TGV trains go because they did not stop at our station. When the first one went through, it was incredibly loud and Michael started crying but we calmed him down quickly. The next four trains that whizzed through, we covered his little ears.

We finally got onto our train after it was due to arrive in Paris. Michael was well behaved on the train but wanted to touch everything. Here he is looking out of the window at 120mph. At the end of the ride he was sitting on the table and a woman from Hong Kong was playing with him, but since he's scared of strangers sometimes, he just stared at her for like ten minutes. But finally he started playing with her and the Spaniards next to us. Quite the charmer this one.

Nope, he just ran his head into the bathtub and cried.

In his Cage

We have to put the boy in his playpen every now and then so we can do something. Michael doesn't really care for it. He tries to climb up the side to look at us, but usually he stops in the middle and looks at us longingly through the mesh windows.

And then he eats the mesh windows.

Recently, Phuong was letting him play near the vacuum, the Rowenta Dymbo, so she could eat and he was pressing the on/off button but couldn't depress it completely to turn it on. It would rev up just a bit every time he touched it but not too loudly. Then he turned the stupid thing on completely, and it was really loud. He started bawling and Phuong said when she tried to pick him up, he was trembling.

That is the end (hopefully) of a bad run of luck for the boy. This morning, I was playing a game with him that he likes where I click my teeth real fast. Then he stuck his miniature little pinky finger in my mouth and I bit it. He cried like the little baby he is. Before lunch today, he had an attack of separation anxiety when we left and bawled for us to hug him goodbye. Two days ago, he fell off the couch and did a faceplant on the parquet. Then during his bath, he burned his little midget hand on a stream of hot water. He's really hastening his development!

Tomorrow is our 5th anniversary so I took today and tomorrow off. To celebrate, we went this morning to the Arc de Triomphe and for a walk down the Champs Elysees. It was really nice to get away from the daily grind of life and remind ourselves that pretty Paris is right next door. Phuong dressed up really cute. Me not so much.

We bought our tickets to climb the tower and Phuong realized she was wearing heels. 283 steps later, her feet weren't feeling so good. But at least it was probably 60 degrees out so we weren't at all sweaty. We went up and took some great pictures of us atop the Arc.

By the time we got down, Phuong's feet were on their last legs. Somehow she made it over to Lancel to look at handbags. The crazy woman followed us around the entire time guarding her commission that was never to come. P could only make it to the George V stop and we headed home to change shoes and have lunch.

We had a recommendation from someone about a good restaurant near us, Au Petit Marguery on Blvd. Port Royal (http://www.petitmarguery.fr/). So we went. And it was delicious. We both got the menu, but Phuong shirked the dessert. Mistake. For starters, Phuong got ravioles stuffed with the shellfish coquilles de Saint Jacques and cheeses in a light bisque style sauce but not nearly as overpowering as the kind you get in Boston. I had some and it was delicious. I had foie gras, a staple of my Parisian restaurant diet. Nothing like buttery liver. Phuong got a quarter (leg and thigh) of duck. It was in a light cream sauce and really delicious. But it was probably cooked to medium at best, true to the French style, and Phuong had some qualms about eating it due to breastfeeding concerns. I got "Noisettes d'agneau" little lamb nuggets also cooked to american 'medium'. Normally in France, lamb has an incredibly strong meaty flavor, but this lamb was delicious. You could still taste the lamb flavor but it wasn't overpowering. The vegetables I had, broccoli and green beans were also well cooked. Typically the French leave the meats undercooked and really overcook the vegetables (to a mush) by our standards. But this place cooked the vegetables really well. They still had their natural color, texture and flavor while being thoroughly cooked. What more can you ask for? I finished my plate and a quarter of Phuong's duck with about 30 cl of red wine, but still had my dessert.

Unfortunately, our nanny called (she had to leave at 13h00) because Michael was hungry and crying so Phuong had to walk two minutes home to feed him. I had ordered the souffle Grand Marnier which had yet to arrive, so it was "not possible" for me to leave. You should have seen this thing. It was huge, only mildly tasted like the Grand Marnier and absolutely melted in my mouth. I wish Phuong had been there so we could have shared it. I think I was full about halfway through my lamb, but there was no stopping me! I ate it all, probably 5 inches in diameter and 3 inches deep.

That meal was what we had been missing in Paris. On our honeymoon, we had eaten awesome dinners, but this was only the second time we'd eaten so well since we've been here. And not having to worry about the beasty boy for the entire main meal made it even more satisfying.

Now we're off to tour Opera Garnier...I think Phuong secretly has some shopping plans in mind, but that's ok. I just hope I can walk after my lunch. Then it's off to Cirque du Soleil tonight in (uggh) Saint-Denis just north of Paris' Montmarte area. Then to Reims on Saturday for some champagne tasting, majestic cathedral and a break from Paris.

My Favorite Pics RIGHT now!

Knick Knacks

During Phuong's French lesson, Michael and I hung out. He kept crawling over the to TV stand and pulling himself up to a standing position using the shelves and then he would eat the tallest shelf. It's glass, a little bit dusty, but that must make it all the more tasty. Then he tried to attack some knick knacks we'd bought in Germany so I moved them to the nearby coffee table. So he got really good at moving over the other table from the TV stand and he would hold the TV stand with hand while reaching for the other table. All in the name of getting these knick knacks. Yes, I was spotting him.

If standing, he could get over to the table still standing, but then he would fall down. He tried to get back up, got both his hands on the table top, but then decided to chew on the table top so he couldn't lift his torso because there wasn't enough room. After moving the knick knacks a few more times, I took them to his room and put them on a shelf five feet high. He tried to climb up Rawhide, his bouncing horse, to get them, but he just wasn't tall enough.

I felt sad for him so I took him down to the bar on the street below us, and we had a beer.

You know it's summertime in France when
a) I wore wool pants, an undershirt, a long sleeve button up shirt, and a light merino wool sweater to work on July 2nd.
b) I get to the bus stop but they've decided to go on strike and there's no bus and it's raining. A colleague of mine complained that the bus had operated last summer, but there was no schedule posted yet for this summer.
c) The "L" bus is also on strike.
d) My coworker is only working half the month and the German guy I know, Golo, won't be in this month.
e) I work 3 days in all of August.

It made me sad today when an intern addressed me as "vous", the polite form of "you" reserved for your elders and people you don't know.

Happy 4th of July, everyone!!!!

We are having hamburgers, potato salad, ranch style beans (I found a can in our pantry from the US), and brownies for dinner!!!!

Love,P

The Reason I Have Not Blogged Recently:

The boy is JUST CRAZY. I have to watch him ALL the time!!!

This weekend, Shravi came to visit and it was SUPER fun. We SHOPPED SHOPPED SHOPPED until we dropped...or rather until I had to come home and feed Michael! It is sales season in Paris so we hit up some boutiques in the Marais area, popped over to rue de Rennes for some normal Parisian shopping, and hit Opera for some upscale, tourist shopping! It was awesome. Shravi reminded me that I still need fun/hip/stylish clothes and just because I am a mom, doesn't mean I have to dress like one! It was a reminder I definitely needed!

Sunday, Shravi went to Sacre Couer while Brian and I went to market and cooked dinner. It is zuchini season so we've been eating a lot of stuffed zuccini here in the Besancon house. I absolutely love cooking whatever is in season here! It is so different than in America b/ when something isn't in season, it's either 1) not available at all or 2.) ridiculously priced. So it forces me to cook whatever is in season. This is a really great challenge b/c it makes you cook outside your normal meals and experiment with different flavors/spices. And since i love to cook, it is really fun for me to go to the outoor market 2-3 a week and see what to buy! Wait a minute...maybe I just like to buy stuff....PERIOD.

Love,

P

There is absolutely NO TIME to post anymore! I am following Michael around making sure he doesn't hurt himself and even then, he STILL does! And then there's the 6-8 hours of French homework I have a week, which doesn't even include time to really study and let it sink in. That's just the HOMEWORK part! And don't even get me started on cooking dinner, cleaning, and keeping up with my other "yummy mummy" friends here!

Anyways, here are some highlights/lowlights to catchup in the last couple of weeks. Again, my deepest apologies for not keeping up with my end of my promise:

Highlights

• Michael said "Daddy" and "Dadda" for the first time.
• He started to army crawl...
• Then he started to really crawl.
• And now he is doing a bit of both. Whatever gets him where he wants to go the fastest
• He discovered how doors work and shut our kitchen door.
• When Shravi came and then went to the bathroom, she shut the door behind her. Michael crawled over there and yelled at her until she opened it back up.
• He started pulling up this past Sunday so now he's even crazier than before.

Lowlights

• Michael has NOT said "Mommy" or "Mama" yet. :o(
• Michael bites your shoulder/arm sometimes when you're holding him.
• Michael has fallen off the couch twice. Each time, either Brian or I were there and we still don't catch him in time. Yesterday, he fell head first onto the floor. EEK. The distance was less than his height, onto the rug, and there is no swollen fontanelle and he's normal (knock on wood) so we hope he's ok. ;o)
• Brian turned on the water for Michael to play with during his bath, but we have TERRIBLE temperature regulation on our water and Michael burned his hand a bit and cried.
• It's sales season in Paris and Mommy drags him all over the stores.

I think that's it! 9 month checkup in the coming weeks before heading off to Munich/Bonn. I doubt he's gained weight because he hasn't outgrown his clothes or his diapers...but he's eating well and developing so I'm not gonna stress out about it.

Love to all,
P

P.S. I updated our pictures in our album FINALLY. Only a month and a half late. AND I haven't done ANY scrapbooking! How am I gonna remember his childhoood??!?!

We had a fantastic fun weekend!

On Saturday, we popped over to the 6th arrondissement near Odeon and went boutique shopping! Tres fun! And Tres expensive! Some stores, I felt a bit out of place, but then I didn't buy anything and felt fine about it. We had a great lunch at a cafe called Cafe Six. We had some delicious tomato gratin as an appetizer. Brian had a duck casserole with French fries; I had a steak with vegetables; and Michael had apples/prunes and potatoes with leaks. I think Michael got the short end of the stick! Afterwards, we went home and hung out. I went to Crea, a craft store which was not that great. But I did find a street with cute little home decoration boutiques and some outlets! Woot woot!

Sunday, we started our day by going to church for the first time in like MONTHS. We finally decided just to go to the French Catholic church by our house and attend the mass in French. The English speaking church is too far away and we just need to learn French anyways. The church itself is beautiful and small. Out of all the people who were potty trained at that church, we were easily the youngest by like 30 years. The funny thing about the French, is that many of their holidays are centered around religion...yet many of the younger generation and population are not even practicing any religion.
Afterwards, we checked out a garage sale at Buttes aux cailles and then went to market to pick up some basil. I spent the afternoon cooking Michael's baby food and freezing it and then cooking our dinner of Emeril's Chicken Cacciatore! Mmm!!

I made Michael this dessert for fun, but he wasn't keen on it at all. However, that worked out fine because Brian and I loved it! So hope you like it too. It was pretty easy and is great with ice cream!

Baked Bananas

Ingredients:

1 Banana

1 tspn Maple Syrup

Butter

Cinnamon

Steps:

1. Cut bananas in half lengthwise
2. Place in a baking dish (I used a nonstick one)
3. Sprinkle cinnamon over each banana and drizzle maple syrup over it too.
4. Dot with butter
5. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 4-10 minutes.

Is it too early to be serving this to Michael? I have this great book by Annabel Karmel called "The Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner" and it was listed under the 6-9 month feeding section so I assumed it was ok! The French introduce butter rather early here and I'm sure the maple syrup has too much sugar for Michael? Any opinions?

Love,
P

Why have we not posted in almost a week? Because Michael is becoming more and more mobile and I can't just let him lay somewhere. He will, within minutes, get into something he's not supposed to in our apartment, AKA Dangerous Baby Land. We are BEHIND in the babyproofing!

So I am spending most of my days making sure Michael does not eat the wires, pull down the fan, or eat the rug in front of the toilet.

P